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Eclectic Sun, on beautiful and scenic Lake Jocassee, is Devils Fork State Park’s on-site supplier for all things to do on and around the lake. The “PAVILION” in the day use picnic area of the park is where you will find us. Eclectic Sun is a genuine Surf Shop and Snack-Bar combined. Watersports equipment is available for sale and rent.

Eclectic Sun is here to make your day on the water the best it can be. Whether you're a Pro or just a Beginner our friendly staff is here to assist you with all your Paddle Sports needs.

Here is a helpful article we found, please let us know if you have any questions.

The Types

Canoeing is an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages, athletic abilities, and backgrounds. One of the most ancient forms of transportation, today in the first world people mainly canoe for recreational purposes. The fact that there are different types of canoeing is often lost on beginners learning how to canoe. This is because the differences between the canoes are not readily noticeable to the untrained eye. Here is a list and description of different types of canoes to help you navigate the different options you have when choosing a canoe.

Recreational Canoe

The typical recreational type canoes are the most common. These canoes are stable and durable. They are generally made of either plastic or aluminum and contain no frills. These are the canoes you’ll find in big-box sporting good stores, as rentals at your local lake, and in fleets at summer camps. If you want a versatile canoe that you can paddle around the local lake you’ll want to choose a recreational canoe. These canoes are durable and can be left outside without worry for damage.

Intermediate and Advanced Canoes

The next type of canoe is an upgrade from the standard recreational canoe. They differ in the quality and workmanship of the boats from their less expensive cousins. Canoe enthusiasts will invariably want to upgrade from a plastic or aluminum canoe and the designs that usually follow. These paddlers opt for lighter materials, faster designs, and more comfortable amenities on their boats. These “nicer” boats will probably need to be purchased from a canoe outfitter or local sporting goods shop. Some of the uses of an intermediate canoe are longer paddles, bird watching, and fishing. These are the canoes of canoe enthusiasts.

Whitewater Canoes

There are canoes made specifically for whitewater and river paddling. These boats have high sides to keep water out and have a high degree of rocker. Rocker refers to the curvature from bow to stern. They also have flatter bottoms which enable them to turn quicker but adversely affects the tracking, the ability to paddle straight. Whitewater canoes also have places to tie floatation bags into the stern and bow of the canoe. This flotation keeps the canoe from sinking when it takes on water or when it flips over which is to be expected in whitewater paddling. A final note about whitewater canoes is that they are generally paddled while kneeling which keeps the canoeists center of gravity lower in the boat and offers a more aggressive paddling position. The “seats” are designed to accommodate a kneeling position.

Racing Canoes

Canoe/Kayak has officially been an Olympic Sport since 1924. There is two types of canoe racing, flatwater and slalom (whitewater). Racing Canoes are for an elite group of canoeist and as such are not very common at all. These canoes are made of lighter materials such as fiberglass, Kevlar, and composites involving multiple materials. Racing canoes are also narrower at the beam, track very well, and are “tippy” to novice paddlers. Whitewater slalom canoes have closed decks and spray skirts similar to kayaks.

Other Specialized Canoes

Canoes can also be bought with other activities in mind. Canoes made primarily for the purpose of canoe camping have room for gear and places to attach them to. Fishing Canoes can have rod holders attached to them. Virtually any sport that is done in conjunction with canoeing has their own spin on canoe design and accessories.

Solo Canoes and Tandem Canoes

All of the other above categories represent different types of canoeing and different types of canoes. It should be mentioned here that all of the above categories of canoes can be purchased either to be paddled alone or with another person. Solo canoes are made to be paddled by one person. They are usually shorter and can be narrower to allow for ease of switching from paddling on one side to another. Tandem canoes are meant to be paddled by two people. Generally, these are much more common, are faster, and easier to paddle for beginners. As any husband and wife who’ve ever shared a canoe will attest, they also make for some great fights between the person in the bow and stern.

Eclectic Sun, on beautiful and scenic Lake Jocassee, is Devils Fork State Park’s on-site supplier for all things to do on and around the lake. The “PAVILION” in the day use picnic area of the park is where you will find us. Eclectic Sun is a genuine Surf Shop and Snack-Bar combined. Watersports equipment is available for sale and rent.

Eclectic Sun is here to make your day on the water the best it can be. Whether you're a Pro or just a Beginner our friendly staff is here to assist you with all your Paddle Sports needs.

Here is a helpful article we found, please let us know if you have any questions.

Canoeing, Kayaking, and SUPing

Paddling refers to the group of watersports that require a paddle to propel and steer a vessel through and across the water. Traditionally, two sports have fallen in the category of paddling, that is canoeing and kayaking. Technically speaking, rafting is also a paddlesport, whether river rafting or whitewater rafting. Also, It truly is amazing that after thousands of years of paddling that a relatively new paddlesport is on the scene. We're talking about SUP, or standup paddleboarding.

While the above utilitarian definition is accurate it doesn’t even scratch the surface of what paddling is to those of us who find our passion floating just inches above the surface of the water. And, while there are many reasons why people paddle one thing is true of all of us. We love to paddle. We live to paddle. Here are descriptions of the sports that make up the category of watersports known as paddling.

Canoeing

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Generally speaking, canoes are long slender boats that have raised seats in them. The canoeist sits in the canoe with their legs at about a 90-degree angle. Canoes are propelled with a single bladed paddle and can be paddled solo or in tandem. While it is generally thought that canoeing is the most serene paddle sport of the bunch, that is actually a misconception. There are racing canoes and there are whitewater canoes. A whitewater canoe can do anything a whitewater kayak can do however it does require a higher degree of skill to do it in a canoe given that a canoeist uses a paddle with only one blade.

Canoeing is a paddle sport that is a tried and true favorite among the outdoor community. They are kept on the shores of camps and weekend getaways to use as a form of recreation. Canoes are often combined with camping trips, fishing outings, and even hunting. And, for years canoes were the rental vessel of choice in state and county parks all over this country.

Kayaking

Ariel Skelley / Getty Images
While kayaking has as ancient of a past as canoeing, it has increased in prominence over the last 20 years. From about the 1990s, kayaking has been known as the fast-growing watersport. Only recently has this unofficial designation been in question as a new form of paddling has emerged.

Like canoes, kayaks are also long and slender. The seats in kayaks, however, are not raised up as they are in canoes. Instead, they are on the floor of the kayak and the legs are out in front. While there are sit-on-top kayaks, most kayaks are sit-in kayaks. This means that the kayaker’s legs actually slide into the kayak. Experienced kayakers use spray skirts that attach them to the kayak and make the inside of the kayak watertight. Among the most popular types of kayaking are sea kayaking, touring kayaking, whitewater kayaking, and recreational or lake kayaking.

Standup Paddleboarding

Kolostock / Getty Images

While standup paddleboarding has its foundations in surfing, as it uses a paddle to propel the board it is technically a paddlesport. While standup paddleboarding seems like a new sport, there is some evidence that it has been around for quite some time, particularly in Hawaii where it originated. It is safe to say that relatively speaking in the paddling world SUP is a recent phenomenon.

There are many types of SUP paddling including surfing, touring, racing, fitness paddling, and SUP Yoga. Believe it or not, there is even whitewater standup paddleboarding. SUP is the latest craze in watersports and has unofficially overtaken kayaking as the fastest growing water sport out there.

Eclectic Sun, on beautiful and scenic Lake Jocassee, is Devils Fork State Park’s on-site supplier for all things to do on and around the lake. The “PAVILION” in the day use picnic area of the park is where you will find us. Eclectic Sun is a genuine Surf Shop and Snack-Bar combined. Watersports equipment is available for sale and rent.

Eclectic Sun is here to make your day on the water the best it can be. Whether you're a Pro or just a Beginner our friendly staff is here to assist you with all your Paddle Sports needs.

Here is a helpful article we found, please let us know if you have any questions.

The Canoe

Knowing the how to properly refer to the anatomy of a canoe will help you to learn the sport and to communicate with other paddlers as you begin to advance your canoeing proficiency. Here are the canoe design features and parts that are universally applied to all canoes regardless of canoeing genre.

Bow: Simply put, the bow is the front of the canoe. This is universal for all boats. So, whether you sit in a motorboat, kayak, and every other type of canoe, the word “bow” means the front. The pronunciation is the same as in “take a bow” and not like what little girls wear in their hair.

Stern: The stern of the canoe is the back of the boat. Same as with the term “bow,” the stern is the universal term for the rear of any boat. In a tandem canoe, one canoeist sits in the bow and one sits in the stern.

Starboard Side: The starboard side of the canoe is the right side of the boat.

Aft Side: The aft side of the canoe is the left side of the boat.

Hull: In the boating world, the hull is the entire body of the boat. But, kayakers often use the term hull to refer to the bottom of the boat.

Keel: The keel on a canoe is a rib-like protrusion on the underside of where the canoe comes to a point both on the bow and the stern. The keel helps the canoe to track straight through the water.

Yoke: The yoke of a canoe is the cross beam in the center of the canoe that connects the starboard and aft sides. It usually has a curved indentation in the center of it that ergonomically fits over the neck of a canoeist. The yoke then rests on the shoulders of the canoeist when carrying the canoe upside down.

Beam: The word beam refers to the width of the canoe at its widest point which is taken at the yoke.

Thwart: There are two thwart's on a canoe, one in the stern and one in the bow. Thwarts are cross-bars that connect the aft and starboard sides of the canoe. They give rigidity to the canoe as well as provide a canoeist who is kneeling in the boat something to lean against.

Gunnel or Gunwale: The gunnel (also called gunwale) is the rim that runs all along the top edge of the canoe.

Waterline: The waterline of the canoe is the imaginary line along the canoe that the water comes up to.

Freeboard: The freeboard of a canoe is the area of the hull of the canoe that is above the waterline.

Draft: A canoe's draft is the area of the hull of the canoe that is below the waterline.

Other Components: Besides the design of the boat, canoes have other components such as seats, handles, and grab loops.

Outfitting: Outfitting refers to anything that allows the canoe to fit to the individual boater. It can be permanently placed or adjustable. Examples of outfitting are foam and padding for comfort.

The above list really just reflects the basic anatomy of canoes. Each genre of canoe has their own list of unique components. For instance, whitewater canoes also have tie-downs for float bags. And, the design features even vary from tandem to solo canoes. Obviously, tandem canoes have two seats. But, this basic list gives the basics.

April is always a Happy Birthday month to Eclectic Sun and a Welcome to Spring on Lake Jocassee.

Eclectic Sun at Lake Jocassee is happy to celebrate our 5th birthday on April 8th, 2017. Eclectic Sun came to be on Easter Sunday 2012. The Eclectic came from the eclectic group of people who come to Lake Jocassee and this beautiful peaceful area. With all our differences in culture and language, we are still inspired by the same serenity of the area. And of course, the Sun came from our love of beautiful sun filled days and memories.

So together we are able to share the resource and the awesome beauty of Lake Jocassee. Devils Fork State Park is the only access to this wonderful paradise. Located in the picnic area of the park, Eclectic Sun is happy to provide the means to explore this wonderland. Whether you want to tour at your leisure on a pontoon tour of the many waterfalls on Jocassee or challenge yourself against the elements, to explore the area on a kayak, canoe or paddleboard, you are always treated to a spiritual experience.

We are celebrating in a big way with specials set to bring our families and friends far and near out to Jocassee to enjoy the paradise we are fortunate to live and work in every day. Bring your family and friends and join us as we celebrate Easter, Spring and a milestone birthday for Eclectic Sun.

Early Spring and Easter week always seem to bring renewed vibrancy to the paradise that is the Jocassee Gorges. Everything which surrounds Devils Fork State Park and Lake Jocassee is bursting in full color. The lake and all the area around the lake are coming alive to rival all the other seasons. Join us this week and celebrate all that is good in the world.